Contact: Jen Fee
Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper
Office: (716) 852-7483 ex. 13
Cell: (516) 255-7823
Email: jfee@bnwaterkeeper.org
Enforcement Action Taken Against Queen City Landing Project Due To Multiple Violations of Environmental Conservation Law
NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and Developer Agree
to an Order on Consent and Fine of $50,000
Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper has learned, through a Freedom of Information request that a Notice of Violation has been issued, and a Consent Order signed for the Queen City Landing Brownfield Cleanup Project along the City of Buffalo’s Outer Harbor. According to NYSDEC-Region 9 Office of General Counsel, Queen City Landing acknowledged the violations and voluntarily signed the Consent Order on May 2, 2017, which included a significant civil penalty of $50,000.
Site inspections and enforcement action from NYSDEC commenced after a concrete wall from the former Freezer Queen building fell into Lake Erie on or about November 17, 2016. Investigators who were on-site conducting the inspections after the incident discovered multiple additional violations of the Environmental Conservation Law. These additional violations were included in the enforcement actions and were also cited in the final Consent Order that was signed by the agency and the developer.
Buffalo Niagara Waterkeeper has submitted additional Freedom of Information requests to NYSDEC-Region 9 for all data, reports, and correspondence related to the Consent Order as well as the tax-payer supported Brownfield Cleanup Program at this site. We will continue to follow activity at this site, including environmental testing, water quality monitoring, and contaminant clean-up, and will share any information with the public as it becomes available.
Click the provided link to download the full Consent Order: Consent-Order_QCLMay2_2017
